I am a 60-ish married engineer that has dealt with moderate eczema my entire life, primarily through the use of topical steroids. In early 2012 things started going wrong, and this blog is a personal diary of my journey through Topical Steroid Withdrawal, also known as Red Skin Syndrome, Topical Steroid Addiction, or Steroid Induced Eczema. I have been completely free from all steroids since July 9, 2013. Please see www.itsan.org for more info and feel free to post here!

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

About a year ago I felt good enough to start exercising again, but I was having trouble getting motivated. I can't recall exactly how (I think it was one of those ads all over the place on Facebook), but I ran across a product called "Goji Play" from a company called Blue Goji. It has great reviews so I spent $100 or so and got it. It's basically a set of controllers that can be strapped to a piece of exercise equipment, in my case an elliptical, that allows you to play games on your iPhone or tablet will exercising. There are quite a few dedicated games available and my favorites are the lane-changing type where you are a character that is racing along avoiding obstacles, collecting coins, racing against other characters and the like. The buttons on the controllers change your direction or make you jump and your speed is determined by how fast you run or spin on the piece of exercise equipment. What is amazing about it is that the games require just enough concentration and entertainment that time literally flies by.

Earlier this year Blue Goji introduced the next generation of controllers and as a promotion created a contest, called "Goji Madness". Contestants could enter in one of four categories, open, over 60, BMI over 28, or veterans. The top 64 contestants, 16 in each category, would go through elimination rounds with prizes at each round. After 3 rounds there would be only 4 contestants left, one in each category, and the four would be flown to New York City where the semifinal and final rounds would take place live. I entered the contest in the "Seniors Rock" category not thinking much about it, and was totally surprised that I made it to the elimination rounds. I initially thought the email notification was spam and almost deleted it. Elimination rounds would be held each weekend where I would be paired up with another contestant with the winner of 2 out of 3 games would progress to the next round. Well, I won the next three rounds and I am one of the final four! My wife and I will be flown to New York City for the semifinals where the final winner drives away in a Chevy Camaro!

What's amazing to me about this, other than an old fat guy made it this far, is that a year ago I was entering the infamous 2-year flare and was shivering, sweating, unable to sleep, itching like a mofo, covered with oozing, cracking, and flaking skin and wishing life away. Even though I am going through a mini-flare right now (limited to my hands) I generally feel fantastic and am ready to take on the other contestants!

"Addiction to (Topical) Steroids is a serious problem which reaches tragic proportions in some cases. It is more common than realized, sly and seductive and will be prevented only when the physician becomes as impressed with the capacity of the steroids to do harm as they are with their power to suppress, not cure, virtually any inflammatory disorder." - Dr. Albert M. Kligman M.D. Ph.D. and Dr. Peter J. Frosch M.D., International Society of Topical Dermatology Journal, 1979